Steadfast, singleminded
by muishiki
Summary: Various vignettes of private moments in the lives of the characters of Bleach. Some tender, some funny, some just weird. Subject to the whims of the author and reviews! First up - Isshin and Ichigo!


Um... Sorry? I don't own these characters. See rant at the end of ficlet.

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Even though he'd rather be in school, June 17th was too important for Ichigo to miss. He had too many obligations to consider. Not only did he have the obligation to his family, but more importantly, to his mother, and to himself. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't come.

Ichigo stood behind his twin sisters as they lovingly washed their mother's grave marker. His dad stood next to him, carefully observing the ritual and being normal for once, rather than the unbearably silly, fight-loving embarrassment he usually was. Ichigo didn't often see his old man acting seriously, and it always took him by surprise.

Rukia stood a respectful distance away, shielding her eyes from the sun as she gave the family some privacy to complete the ritual. She was wearing one of Yuzu's old sun dresses, a pale yellow number decorated with small white flowers. She pretended not to be watching the family as she fiddled with the zippers on Kon, fishing out a bottle of water from the plush toy that had been converted into a backpack.

It looked silly, but at the same time appropriate. Even though Kon was behaving right now, it would only be a matter of time until he caused some sort of trouble. It must have been cosmic retribution for her terrible drawings - she was forced to carry around a backpack that had a bad attitude and tried to grope her when she wasn't looking. Better to let Rukia deal with it.

Ichigo put the short death god out of his mind for the moment, preferring to concentrate on the ritual instead. It was the family's annual visit to pay their respects and clean the marker and surrounding area. The cleaning procedures were easy enough - Karin poured water on to the monument using a small wooden ladle while Yuzu scrubbed down the stone with a brush. Ichigo had swept up around the area earlier, pulling up weeds from between paving stones and brushing away dead leaves. The site looked pretty; the weather was clear and hot, with a few wispy clouds that did little to shelter the family from the sun.

It was always hot here in the summer. The cicadas were out this year, and their buzzing seemed to make the summer heat even more oppressive. Though the terrace where the grave was located offered a stunning view of the surrounding area, there was no shelter from the sun. At least it wasn't raining, though. That happened occasionally during these visits, and the rain made it even harder for him to deal with being here, because it reminded him too much of the day his mother died.

Ichigo didn't take part in the actual washing of the marker. He could have helped, but he would have only gotten in the way. His two younger sisters had long ago taken over this task, leaving Ichigo and his old man to stand and watch as they fussed over the site. It was calming in a way. Since he didn't have to do anything, it allowed him to reflect.

So much had changed in the last few years – Ichigo had become a death god, fought and destroyed hollows, and sent souls onwards to the afterlife. He was in the middle of a war right now with the traitor Aizen and his Espada and arrancar hollows. Somewhere along the way he had changed from a high school student with atypical abilities to part of an elite fighting force trying to protect two worlds.

His family wasn't the only people who had changed, though. Who else had been affected by Rukia showing up a few years ago? Orihime? Ishida? Chad? His friends would never be the same, no matter how much they might wish it. More likely, they wouldn't wish it at all, knowing how seriously they took their parts in the fights against the latest threats. How much remained hidden? His sisters, Yuzu and Karin, had become able to see hollows and even fight them to some extent, with the aid of that crackpot, Don Kanonji. Karin knew he was a death god, even if she didn't know quite what it entailed.

The most surprising, and most unpleasant revelation, was that his father, a former death god himself, was living in a constructed body in order to be human. At some point in the past, his father had given up his responsibilities and powers to live as a human. Not only that, his father had slain the hollow responsible for the death of his wife, avenging Ichigo's mother when Ichigo himself had twice failed. Standing with his father, he cast a brief glance over at the head of the Kurosaki clan.

He used to wallow in guilt every year when they came to visit, but since meeting Rukia and learning the truth of his mother's demise, guilt had turned to anger.

But the anger was gone now, having given away to acceptance recently. Acceptance was turning to peace, in no small part to his father. Ichigo had confronted the hollow that killed his mother. He hadn't been able to purify it the two times he had faced it, but his father had. Together they had put Masaki Kurosaki to rest. In some ways, it was better that he hadn't done it, because as hard as the loss of his mother had been for Ichigo, he couldn't imagine how hard it had been for his father.

Purifying the hollow seemed to have affected the whole family. His father had become more serious as of late. His sisters had become more adult like, as well. Perhaps it was because Isshin had gained some measure of peace as a result of the incident, or more likely, he had started to reclaim whatever powers he had given up so many years ago.

His father caught his glance. Isshin nodded at Ichigo in perceptibly before turning his attention back to his youngest daughters, watching as they finished up their cleaning. When the two girls finished, they stepped back to join the rest of the family. Before they prayed, however, Isshin Kurosaki surprised his son yet again.

"Rukia. Would you like to join us?" The eldest Kurosaki motioned her over.

"Ah…" She blinked at Ichigo's father a few minutes, surprise evident on her face. Even after several years of living with the Kurosaki's, she was still a little unsure of how best to behave towards the head of the household. Whatever she knew about Isshin, she hadn't told Ichigo, though. She claimed it wasn't her story to tell, and that if Ichigo wanted to know, he should ask his father directly. However, being raised in a noble household did have some advantages, because she allowed her good manners to quickly cover the shock and avoid embarrassing either party. "If you would feel it would be appropriate."

Isshin nodded. "Of course. You are practically family."

She blushed lightly. "You honor me."

Isshin smiled lightly and motioned her over one more time. Without further hesitation, Rukia joined the Kurosaki family, and together, the five of them clapped their hands and bowed their heads, praying for peace and acceptance for the soul of their Masaki Kurosaki in the next life.

Except that Ichigo knew the truth, now. And, come to thing of it, so did his father. And Rukia. Perhaps even Karin and Yuzu, as well. Was anything ever going to be simple again?

As hard as it had been for Ichigo to accept the truth of his mother's death, how much more difficult had it been for his dad? They both had a measure of peace knowing that the hollow responsible for her death was destroyed, but at the same time they knew that it was unlikely they would ever meet with Masaki Kurosaki again, either in this lifetime or in Soul Society.

Having purified the Grand Fisher, did Masaki Kurosaki now wander around Soul Society, lost, without her family, and with little way of finding them? Would she be the same person? Would she remember what kind of evil the hollow had perpetrated, using her image? Even if Kurosaki looked, it would be unlike he could find her short of a miracle. She might not remember who she had been, let alone who Ichigo was. Maybe his father's experience as a psychopomp and a former division captain gave him a more balanced view of the afterlife, but Ichigo was still struggling to wrap his head around everything that had occurred since he gained his powers.

The brief moments of seriousness that he glimpsed from his father revealed the hidden strength of character and power his father must have – _no –_ still possessed. He might be limited by his human body now, but occasionally he would allow the serious and grim side of his personality to escape. Ichigo found himself respecting his father, almost against his will, more and more as this side of his personality revealed itself. For too long he had dismissed his father as a perverted crackpot, but…

His father allowed him to continue in his death good duties, even though he could probably put a stop to it. As powerful as Ichigo was, his father could easily be just as strong, if not stronger. He had easily proven that recently against the arrancar. And yet, given that he probably had this tremendous amount of power, his father was still willing to let his son be placed in mortal danger on a daily basis. It showed a level of maturity Ichigo hadn't thought his father had possessed. Ichigo didn't like thinking about his death god duties too much – it hurt his brain. He'd rather just slash his way through his problems. This wasn't like homework. There was no neat solution for the various problems in his life.

Ichigo was distracted from his thoughts as the family turned to go. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and turned to go, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He followed the arm with his eyes, to see his father holding him back with a surprising amount of strength and a grim look in his eye. Caught by surprise twice in as many minutes. Curious Ichigo stopped raised an eyebrow. Rather than addressing him, his father turned to the girls and told them to go on ahead, as he and Ichigo would catch up shortly.

Rukia, Karin, and Yuzu simply nodded and turned away, heading back down the path, eager to get out of the sun and into the shade of the trees.

Isshin stood facing the memorial until the girls were out of the line of site. Ichigo watched as his father fished a pack of cigarettes out of the breast pocket of his suit and opened it, peeling off the plastic wrapping and folding back the top of the box to pull out a cigarette. He stuck it in the corner of his mouth and offered one to his son.

Ichigo shook his head. His father pulled out a book of matches and lit up without a word, and the two stood in silence as the older Kurosaki smoked his cigarette. Ichigo knew why he did this - it would be his dad's only cigarette this year, smoked in front of the grave of his wife, a silent tribute to her compliment of his father's appearance.

Isshin took his time, finishing the cigarette and stamping it out. He picked up the butt and placed it back in the cigarrette box, tucking it back into the inside breast pocket of his jacket. He nodded in the direction of the girls before he finally spoke.

"Your mother would be very proud of the three of you. You've all grown so much." Usually any mention of his mom sent Isshin into a crazed fit of weeping or over exuberance. Ichigo was realizing more and more that the person he was discovering slowly was probably his real father, the man who his mother had loved.

It was weird. He wasn't sure he liked it. He knew how to deal with his old father. This new, serious side of him had thrown him for a loop. "We all changed a lot when she died."

His dad nodded. "I know. I remember watching it happen at the time, and being powerless to stop it." He sighed. "But you turned out well."

"What about you? How did you change?"

His father smirked, reminding Ichigo of his normal behavior. "Do you think I was always this annoying?"

Ichigo scowled. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"You shouldn't scowl so much. Your face will get stuck like that."

Ichigo grunted. "I can't help it. I've got a lot on my mind."

"And I don't?" Isshin didn't look in his son's direction, concentrating rather on the marker in front of them. "I've got three children with exceptionally high amounts of spiritual energy, making them prime targets for hollows. Only one of them is currently strong enough to do anything about it, but he's in the middle of a war right now. Between you and Rukia, I'm just waiting for another attack on our house, one that we won't walk away from."

Ichigo was only mildly surprised. "How long have you known?"

"About what? You, or Rukia?" Isshin looked at Ichigo askance.

Ichigo shrugged. "Both, I guess."

"Since beginning."

"Oh." It was one thing to suspect your father knew, but another entirely to have it confirmed. A comfortable silence stretched as they stood there, the sun beating down on their backs.

"Was it fun to have Rukia living in your closet?"

"You knew about that too?"

"Of course." The silence stretched a bit when Ichigo gave no answer.

"If you're so goddamn smart, why do you act like an embarrassment all the time?"

Rather than reacting with crocodile tears and overly dramatic acting, his father's face fell as his eyes looked away. Ichigo followed father's eyes realizing they were staring at his mother's marker.

"I still miss her, Ichigo. Nothing will change that. So, I cope the best way I know how." The air grew heavy as Ichigo could practically feel the sadness radiating from his father. After a few minutes, however, the mood lightened as his father's shit-eating grin came back to his face. "Plus, it's fun to annoy you." He paused. "You never answered my question."

"Which one?"

"Was it fun to have Rukia in your closet?"

Ichigo examined his old man's face, trying to decide if he was serious or not. The grin was still there, but it didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were serious, curious, and not looking to embarrass him (too much, anyway.) Maybe he was getting better at reading his father, or maybe it was the pain of his father's previous confession, but something made him tell the truth.

"Not really." Ichigo shrugged. "I mean, there were some nice things about it - we could talk late at night, and if a hollow came she didn't have to wake anyone else up. But on the whole, it was annoying. I could hear her breathing at night. At first, it drove me crazy at first."

Isshin smiled. "At first?"

Ichigo scowled. "There were times I wanted to open the closet door and smother her with a pillow. I got used to it, though."

Isshin shook his head. "What a waste. If I had a good looking girl living in my closet, I would have tried to smother her with more than just a pillow, if you catch my drift." He shot a playful wink at his son.

A vein throbbed in Ichigo's forehead as his temper spiked. "I'm not a pervert like you."

"You really should learn to lighten up a bit, Ichigo. You're going to give yourself a heart attack."

"That'd be a relief, I think."

"You'd still have your death god responsibilities, though."

Ichigo nodded, reluctantly. "Knowing my karma, yes, I would."

"Did she really annoy you that much?"

"Who?"

"Rukia, dimwit."

"Didn't they teach you anything about parenting? You're going to give me some sort of complex that I'll blame you for \ the rest of my life."

"I've already done that."

"Oh, right."

"But seriously, does she annoy you?"

Ichigo shifted. He wanted to say the first thing that came to mind, but he knew that it wasn't true. It had been a while since he'd shared such a candid moment with his father. Thinking back, he could only remember a few, actually. The first time he found his father smoking at the grave, after meeting the Grand Fisher for the first time. Recently, when facing the same hollow for the last time. And now. Something, maybe his intuition, or maybe just a deep-seated need to understand his father, made him tell the truth.

"She used to. Still does, a lot, actually. But now, it's a good kind of annoy. I know that sounds weird, but it's more annoying when she isn't around." He shrugged, helplessly. "I can't explain it. She... Frustrates me, aggravates me, annoys me, and at the same time..."

"You wouldn't feel complete if she didn't."

Ichigo nodded. "I hadn't really been happy since mom died. But Rukia... she..." He trailed off, letting the thought go unvoiced. "I've got a purpose, now. Protecting you guys. Protecting everyone else."

Apparently his dad had understood anyway, regardless. He watched as his dad looked away, his eyes suspiciously bright.

"You've really grown, haven't you?" A soft, wistful smile graced his father's face. The approval in his dad's voice made him happy and uncomfortable at the same time. The thought both frightened and reassured Ichigo. The teen paused. They say that curiosity killed the cat. Yoruichi was a tough broad, but while his father was actually coherent, Ichigo really had some questions he wanted to ask.

"Dad?"

"Hnn?"

"How... I mean... Why..." Ichigo trailed off.

Isshin raised an eyebrow, a hint of a grin on his face. "Why what?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Why are you here? I mean, weren't you a captain?"

Isshin nodded.

"Then... why?"

"What do you think about Soul Society?"

The change in subject surprised him. He figured there must be a point, so Ichigo rolled with the conversation.

"I mean, it is okay, I guess. Most of my experiences there have not been fun, though. The first time I went, I was trying to rescue Rukia. I was fighting too much to really take in the atmosphere. Every time I go back, it's usually in response to some threat or another."

"I heard about your rescue. Ballsy, that."

Ichigo was surprised. Again. Damnit! Would his old man stop doing this to him? "How did you hear about that?"

"Urahara."

"Ah."

"So, did you really beat Zaraki?"

A ghost of a smile cracked on Ichigo's face. "Yeah. Close thing, but... yeah."

Isshin whistled softly. "I'm impressed. He still a crazy bastard?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. Crazy as they come. But... Why did you leave, though?"

"You said it yourself. None of your experiences there were pleasant, right?" Isshin pointed at the gravestone. "I'm old, Ichigo. I've seen a lot."

"How old?" As soon as he asked it, Ichigo could tell that it was a taboo subject.

His dad's answer was proof enough. "Old." The air turned cold, and for a second Ichigo thought he might have blown his chance to ask more questions. However, it seemed his dad realized that Ichigo couldn't be blamed, and the atmosphere lightened again.

"You should never ask a woman or a death god their age." A hint of a smile passed his face. "Anyway, my age isn't important. But, to answer your question... I met your mother." He paused.

"Really?"

Isshin chuckled. "Not really. I didn't 'meet' her. She couldn't see me as I was still a captain then. Anyway, I was sent to the real world to purifying a hollow in this area. The bastard had already taken out several lower ranked seated officers, and the Commander General couldn't afford anymore loses. We drew straws to see who'd get to go."

"So, you won, and you got to come down?"

"No, actually. Zaraki won." Isshin grinned.

Ichigo's brow furrowed. "I don't understand. Then how did you get down here?"

"I was chosen as an alternate in case Zaraki couldn't go. So I cheated. I gave a bunch of candy to Yachiru and got Zaraki really drunk. Between her sugar high and his hang over, they weren't able to find their way to the gate. I went instead." Isshin was grinning madly. "If he ever finds out you're my kid, you can pretty much kiss your ass goodbye. Last I heard, he's still bitter about missing out on the fight."

Ichigo smirked. "I beat him once. I can do it again."

Isshin shook his head ruefully. "I doubt it. He's only been beaten a few times, and he's never, ever been beaten twice by the same person. Ever. That's why most Kukichi won't fight him at all - he wants to save his one victory for when it really matters."

Ichigo paled. His father slapped him on the back. "Don't worry about it, Ichigo. You can always out run him."

"Not funny."

"Actually, it is." Isshin chuckled at his son's expense. "Anyway, as I said, I got him liquored up and came down to fight the hollow. We were fighting in the day light in a park near where she was working at the time. She couldn't see what was happening, but rather than running away like the rest of the sensible humans, she stayed and tried to figure it out. I ended up having to save her when the arrancar tried to go after her."

"Arrancar? Really?"

Isshin nodded. "He was incomplete at that time, but still too strong for even most seated officers. Anyway, I saved your mother by protecting her from a blow meant to kill her. I got a bit banged up, the hollow got purified, and for some reason she became attuned to me." He shrugged. "At the end of the battle, I heard her gasp. She couldn't see me clearly, but she could make out my outline. At least, that's what she told me later."

Ichigo shook his head. "Weird."

"Is that any weirder than how you met your girlfriend."

"Rukia's not my girlfriend."

Ichigo groaned as he realized his father had baited him into that one. The shit-eating grin was back in full force. Thankfully, rather than teasing his son more, Isshin continued.

"So, there I was, wounded, holding this amazing woman in my arms..." Isshin's smile turned nostalgic. "Right then I decided I didn't want to go back. Soul Society bored me with its stupid rules and rigid codes. I needed a break."

Ichigo's snort. "I understand about the stupid rules bit, at least."

His father nodded in agreement. "I asked for a vacation."

"A vacation?"

Isshin nodded. "A vacation."

"Was this after the hollow, or before?"

"After." Isshin frowned.

Ichigo was suddenly struck by how strange it was to be to be having a conversation with his father like this. He'd learned more about his dad in the last fifteen minutes than he had in the first seventeen years of his life. What he was learning told him that he knew practically nothing about his father. Rukia might know more about Isshin than he did. And yet, he was his dad, so at the same time he knew things about Isshin that no death god could - like what kind of father he was.

Isshin continued after a brief pause. "The Commander-General was sympathetic but wouldn't give it to me. He wanted me around in case there were other arrancar."

"What did you do?"

"I pulled an Urahara."

Ichigo whipped his head around. "A what?"

Isshin smirked. "I pulled an Urahara. That's what we called it when a death god just... left. Nobody had ever done it before, so when he left, everyone called it 'pulling an Urahara.' One day he walks in to the middle of a captains meeting and takes off his coat. Bold as brass, he walks over to the Commander-General and hands it to him, not saying a word. After that, he just... left. He didn't explain where or why he was going. By the time the rest of us figured out that Urahara was serious, he was long gone. It wasn't till much later we heard that he'd been exiled for creating an untraceable gigai. It took us a long time to find out that he set up shop here, selling items to visiting death gods. The way he made it look like it was his own choice made him somewhat of a legend."

"You mean Hat-'n-clogs is a rebel? Who knew?"

His father nodded. "More than that. When he found out I wanted to leave, he made me an untraceable gigai and helped me track your mother down. It wasn't too hard as she had taken to going to the park where I fought the hollow every day on her way home from work, hoping to see her 'guardian angle' again. I followed her to the park and asked her out. She said yes."

His father's face suddenly sported a really lecherous grin. "She found out soon enough I wasn't an angle. Why, by the third date, I had her out of her p…"

"DAD!" Ichigo shouted.

"What?" The carefully crafted look of innocence didn't fool Ichigo in the slightest. "I really don't want to know about you're sex life. I prefer to think we were all pod children."

"Oh no. I'm pretty sure you were conceived on the dining room table."

Ichigo turned green. "I hate you, you know that?"

"What would you say if I told you Karin and Yuzu were conceived in your room?"

"Just…" Ichigo shook his head. He vowed silently to sterilize his room when he got home. "Just shut up, would you?"

His father grinned back at him, inordinately pleased with himself.

Desperate to change topics, Ichigo asked, "what did Soul Society do?"

"They were pissed, of course. Relationships with humans are forbidden." Isshin shrugged. "They couldn't find me in Urahara's gigai. Of course, I was slowly losing my powers, but that was okay, too. I wanted to have a normal life, so I did. I had a wonderful wife and have three wonderful children. I might not be the best father, but I don't regret a minute of it."

Ichigo hesitated. "I don't think you're a bad father." He cracked a smile. "Overly-enthusiastic, zero-respect for privacy, annoying, and perverted, yes, but not bad."

His dad chuckled. "Thanks, I think."

Ichigo shrugged.

"So, when are you and Rukia going to give me grandchildren?"

The vein popped out again. "You realize you just destroyed whatever respect just gained for you, right?"

"Yeap!" Isshin turned around and jauntily walked over in the direction the girls had left. He walked slowly, allowing Ichigo to catch up. They walked side by side, Ichigo stewing and Isshin grinning madly.

"Ichigo?"

"What?" The teen snapped.

"I am serious, though. Death gods forget what it's like to really be alive. We live so long and deal with so much death that we get numb, and soon we forget to do anything but our jobs. Until you remember what it's like to feel our life slipping away, day by day, you don't understand the urgency of being human. I had to become human again to remember how... alive it felt to be in love, and how good it can feel to grieve."

Ichigo snorted. "Who said anything about love. I didn't."

"You didn't have to."

"I don't love Rukia, dad."

"Just like you don't love me or your sisters, right?"

This brought Ichigo up short. His dad continued walking. Ichigo shook the cobwebs out of his head as his he hurried to catch up to his father, his thoughts racing even faster than his steps.

Isshin didn't look at his son as they walked. He glanced out over the scenery as they approached the trees. Both Kurosaki men looked in opposite directions. To the casual observer, it looked like they were disinterested in what the other had to say, but a closer look would reveal that to be false. Ichigo was taught, leaning in so as not to miss a word. Isshin spoke carefully, enunciating clearly. "You've already proven you'd die for her. You've certainly proven you'd kill for her. She's proven the same. She was willing to die to protect you. You're ready to give up everything you have for each other. You understand each other, you annoy each other, and yet, you can't stand to be apart."

"I can too stand to be apart from her." Ichigo mumbled with false anger.

Isshin snorted. "Oh yeah? Then explain to me why you couldn't sleep for months until she came back home."

"I was worried."

Isshin smiled.

"About school, dumbass!" Ichigo yelled, testily.

"Right." The grin was back. "I don't know what you want to call it, Ichigo. But it sounds like love to me. I mean, that's exactly how I would have described my feelings for your mother."

"I don't... Rukia. Not like you think. She's my partner. We fight hollows together."

Isshin simply disregarded Ichigo's protests. "Death gods know a lot about life and death, but are always so careful with their hearts. Sometimes, I think our job makes us wary of love, because you can lose so much. If you want her, you are probably going to have to act on it, as she might keep pushing it off until it's too late."

Ichigo didn't say anything as they walked down the hill. It took them nearly ten minutes to reach the bottom, all of which passed in silence. Finally, Ichigo asked, "Do you think... Why? She... I mean... Me?"

Isshin smiled softly at his son. Across the street, he could see Rukia and his daughters eating shaved ice with red beans in the shade of a cafe awning. The three girls hadn't noticed the Kurosaki men yet. He pulled Ichigo into a hug. A real hug, not his normal attempts at affection. Ichigo returned the embrace awkwardly but with real feeling. He quickly pulled back, keeping his hands on his son's shoulders as they looked at each other. "Maybe you should ask her." Isshin dropped his hands. "Regardless, I'm proud of you Ichigo."

The elder Kurosaki winked. "Maybe you can ask her to move back into your closet. Just… use kido to keep the noise down, okay?" Before Ichigo could protest, his dad turned away and marched across the street, yelling "YUZU! KARIN! RUKIA! DID YOU SAVE SOME SHAVED ICE FOR ME?"

Ichigo watched with amusement as his old man bound across the street. The theatrics were back. His father was back. Rukia's eyes fell on him, and they simply looked at each other for a few seconds. Rukia roll her eyes at the elder Kurosaki's antics when he came around the table to include her in his overly affectionate hug. She blushed at the attention, but at the same time her eyes never left his as she smiled at him.

It was just a smile. It was the same type of smile he'd been receiving from her for years now – comfortable, open, genuine. It wasn't anything special, really. And yet, at the same time...

He smiled back. It was just a smile. A comfortable, open, genuine smile. He looked both ways before crossing the street and joining his family. Rukia handed him her bowl of shaved ice, not even bothering to ask if he wanted any. He knew that she knew that he did. After all, you don't fight hollows with someone for so long without learning little things like what kind of shaved ice they liked.

He smiled again and took a bite. He didn't realize it, but for once, his eyebrows weren't furrowed.

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Okay, "RANT ON!"

This fic grew out of several things, really.

1.) Most of the Bleach fanfiction out there should be filed in the "blah" or "bleak" category. I mean, 12,000 entries in the section and hardly a single fic worth reading? Come one! I mean, how did all the good writers totally miss this series? (I admit, I only recently discovered it.)

2.) Isshin rocks. No, I mean, really. I think he and Zaraki are probably the most complex characters in the series. Zaraki is just... yeah. Isshin? The boy has got some problems, yo, but he still comes out al' righ'.

3.) Ichigo Rukia might be a little overdone, but unfortunately it's probably the only pairing that makes sense for Ichigo. It's like Ranma Akane. We all know they will get together in the end, just not the how.

4.) Did I mention that most of the writers doing Bleach stuff can't write? Not that I can, but Jesus, at least I proof read and attempted to put togehter a logical event.

5.) I was procrastinating doing the other stories. hehehe

6.) This was originally an attempt at chapter 4 for "Private time." But, it eventually ended up as it's own story. I'm going to keep Private Time in one universe, and start parallel stories for each respective universe I might write in.

7.) People have been stingy with reviews. P


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